“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt [limp] ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. ” (1 Kings 18:21)
According to a Barna survey conducted among American people, two thirds of them think that all religions essentially teach the same thing. According to four out of ten Americans, when people pray to God, whether they are Christians, Jews, Buddhists, or someone else entirely, they are essentially worshiping the same deity under different names. A very famous person, Oprah Winfrey, once said, “One of the biggest mistakes we make is to believe there is only one way to live. There are many, many ways, many paths to what you call God.” Pop singer Madonna said, “I do believe that all paths lead to God. It is a shame that we end up having religious wars because so many of the messages are the same.”
If I informed you that these claims and convictions are completely false, how would you respond? Declaring that only the Christian faith found in the Bible is correct is among the most politically incorrect claims that can be made in the modern era. Other than Christianity, there are undoubtedly other religions with valid beliefs. Buddhism promotes the values of integrity, altruism, and service. Islam and Orthodox Judaism both acknowledge a single, personal Creator. Other religions acknowledge the great prophet and teacher, Jesus. But this does not imply that all religions are the same, just because Christianity does not hold the exclusive claim to all truth. Furthermore, even though we should be tolerant towards other religions, this tolerance does not entail accepting that all religions teach the same things or are equally accurate.
There are multiple gods, according to certain religions. Conversely, other people completely reject the existence of God. Additionally, while some religions teach that there is only one God, they have sharp differences regarding who God is. Whichever belief system you choose, you will always argue that yours is correct and everyone else's is wrong. There cannot be a single god if there are several. If there is none at all, there cannot be more than one God. It is necessary for one belief to be true, while other beliefs must be false. That is just plain sense, not narrow-mindedness.
What do you believe about God and His Son, Jesus Christ? That is the question you must answer, and it is the question that all of us must answer.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Please help me to maintain my integrity in the face of unpopularity. I ask that You use me to boldly share the gospel as stated by Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
